Before I share my notes with you I just wanted you to know that this was a great meeting. It really reminded me of the importance of staying on track during the holidays. Do you know that the average Thanksgiving meal (one meal) is 4,500 calories!?
That is outrageous. As I walking out of the meeting, back to my car, one thought played through my mind over and over again. It is not worth it! A meal like that is good to enjoy, but remember to keep it with in reason. You...me...we are so worth so much more than we give ourselves credit for.
I would encourage each of you to write out step number one (listed below) and decide what you want your goal to be this holiday season. That goal should help to motivate you to keep you on track.
Here is a summary of my Weight Watchers meeting November 16, 2010
We all know how stressful this time of year can be and I am sure that the week of Thanksgiving will be no exception. How do you tend to respond to stress (negative/positive) and how can your response effect your weight loss?
In order to be successful over Thanksgiving there are a few steps that we can follow:
1. Set a goal- Decide what it is that you are wanting to accomplish over the Thanksgiving week. Do you want to lose? Are you okay with a gain? Or are you just hoping to maintain your weight during this trying week? Know what you want before the big day happens.
2. Save your weekly points allowance for turkey day. Earn activity points during the week so you can have extra to use. Might also be wise to eat a light filling snack before lunch. That way as soon as you walk through the door you are not starving and drooling at the mouth.
3. Mentally rehearse how you will respond to your family. Everyone has a family member that is never able to say something nice, a family member that pushes food on you, and a family member who acts as the food police and asks “are you supposed to be eating that?” Decide in advance how you will respond in each of these situations. Mentally rehearse how you will handle the food, where you will sit, how many plates you will go through, how much of your plate will be veggies, how much desert you will have, etc.
4. Have an alternative to eating. Maybe you could wash dishes, play outside with the kids, wrap Christmas presents, play video games/board games, engage in a deep conversation with a family member, go for a walk. Keep your hands busy so that they won’t keep shoveling food into your mouth.
5. Plan activity. Start a flag football game, bring the softball equipment and engage the entire family. Anybody up for twister? Have some way to help you burn off those calories.
6. Learn to roll with the punches. Maybe things didn’t go exactly as you planned, but be willing to be flexible and do the best with what you are given. Remember it is just one meal, you don’t have to stretch it out over the entire weekend!
When you see the turkey, think wings, and think of your stress just flying away. Enjoy the holiday and be thankful for all that you have accomplished on your weight loss journey. Be thankful for your fellow members, for the way you feel, for eating healthier, and hey maybe even smaller clothes.
9 comments:
Those are great tips for thanksgiving dinner. I know I plan on eating a light snack before hand and having a small taste of everything, but not over doing it.
Losing Brownies - That's a great plan! I am going to do the same.
A few years back, my family decided we were DONE with huge dinners. We usually do something small and healthy for Thanksgiving. We roast a turkey, but it's a small one, and our side dishes are healthy ones, mashed potatoes aside (but even those are red mashed potatoes w/ skin on). My brother is a vegatarian, so we have good veggie alternatives. We just decided that we didn't feel good rolling ourselves away from the table and being exhausted - so we treat it as any other meal.
Great blog and reminder from the meeting... thank you for posting this. The more I hear something, the more I will retain it.
J. Darling - That's a great idea! I am glad that you have family that is so supportive that you can all do that together.
I think a tasting menu is the way I am going to go this year. We have to attend 2 family dinners one at noon the other at four and my only other idea was to have main course at one and dessert at the other. That usually ends badly :(
Eyeclops - A tasting menu sounds great! I hope that everything goes well this week.
A tip on the mentality of tasting:
Think back to the very first bite you had of some amazing ambrosia (meaning "food of the gods" good, not the actualy food "ambrosia). Remember how your mouth watered and how amazing it tasted going down?
I betcha you didn't have THAT reaction to the second bite. Or the third. In fact, I bet you probably where on more of a "high" after that first bite, then you were from cleaning your plate of whatever deliciousness it was. ;)
Well, at least that's how it works for me. So I use the "one bite" rule. Since the first bite is the best, and it's all downhill from there, why not stop at 1? I find when I do that, I don't feel deprived, I got a taste, and I can move on knowing that it won't get better than that first bite.
Everyday, I allowed myself 1 bite of something I want that isn't on the "healthy" menu. (Usually, to make sure it's ONE BITE, it take a bite of something someone else is having - with their persmission of course).
Just a little "food" for thought for those tempted to clean their plates. How about just serving yourself about a 1 bite portion size? ;)
J. Darling - That's a great idea!! I've never thought about it that way. I might just have to try 1 bite of several things for Thanksgiving. Thanks for sharing.
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